Ways to Help

Gharial

Taxonomy

Order: CrocodyliaFamily: GavialidaeGenus/species:Gavialis gangeticus

Description:

The gavial or gharial (common name) has a characteristic
elongated, narrow snout, similar only to the false
gharial, (Tomistoma schlegelii). Variation
in snout shape occurs with age. It generally becomes
proportionally shorter and thicker with age. The
bulbous growth on the tip of the male's snout is
called a "Ghara" (after the Indian word meaning
"pot"), and is present in mature individuals. Two
possible functions have been attributed to it: as
a vocal resonator (which produces a loud buzzing
noise during vocalization) and as a visual signal
to females.

The elongated jaws are lined with many interlocking,
razor-sharp teeth, an adaptation to their fish diet. The gharial
is one of the largest of all crocodilian species, approaching
the Australian saltwater crocodile, the largest crocodilian,
in maximum size. Males reach 20 to 23 feet (6 to 7 m) in length.

The gharial is poorly equipped for locomotion
on land. Its leg musculature is not suited to raise the body
off the ground or to produce the "high-walk" gait. It is
able only to push its body forward across the ground or
"belly-slide." It is, however, very agile in the water.
The tail is well-developed and laterally flattened, and the
rear feet possess extensive webbing.

The gharial has 106 to 110 teeth in the elongated snout.

Distribution and Habitat:

Gharials are found in the rivers of the northern India subcontinent,
in Bangladesh (where they are close to being extirpated),
Bhutan (possibly extirpated), India, Burma (possibly extirpated),
Nepal and Pakistan (close to being extirpated). They are
found within the river systems of the Brahmaputra (Bhutan
and India), the Indus (Pakistan), the Ganges (India and Nepal),
and the Mahanadi (India), with small populations in the Kaladan
and the Irrawaddy in Burma.

They are more adapted to an aquatic lifestyle
in the calmer areas of deep, fast-moving rivers. They usually
leave the water only to bask and nest, both of which usually
occur on sandbanks.

Diet in the Wild:

The diet changes as the gharial matures from a juvenile to
an adult. The juveniles are well suited to deal with a variety
of invertebrate prey such as insects, plus smaller vertebrates
such as frogs, but they primarily eat small fish.
Adults are primarily fish-eaters, for which their jaws and
teeth are perfectly adapted. The thin shape gives the snout
low resistance in water, which is suited to fast lateral snatching
movements underwater. The teeth are ideally suited for holding
struggling prey such as slippery fish. Some of the larger
gharials are more opportunistic and take larger prey, including
mammals.

Zoo Diet:

The Zoo's gharial is fed a variety of fish species. The larger fish, tilapia,
in its enclosure were tried as a possible feeder fish, but because of the fish’s speed they are
rarely caught.

Reproduction:

Females reach sexual maturity around eight to nine feet (2.4
to 2.7 m) in length, this is usually when they are older
than seven years of age. The males do not mature until
about 13 feet (3.9 m) in length at 15 to 18 years of age.
Males guard a territory in which several females live. The
mating period lasts for two months during December and January.
Nesting occurs from March to May (the dry, low water season).
Gharials are hole nesters and excavate an egg chamber into
the sandy banks above the flood line. Up to 60 eggs are
deposited into the hole before it is covered over carefully.
The eggs are the largest of any crocodilian species, weighing
on average six ounces (160 g). After 83 to 94 days, the
hatchlings emerge, and the females assist the hatchlings
to the water as in many other crocodilian species. However,
protection of the young does occur around the nesting area
for some time after hatching.

Life Span:

Unknown

Status:

The gharial is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The species is considered to be one of the most critically
threatened of all crocodilians, and was alarmingly close to
extinction in the 1970s. They are listed on Appendix I of
CITES.

Fortunately, there has been some recovery,
and a reasonable amount of hope lies with the conservation
and management programs now in place. Full protection was
granted in the 1970s in the hope of reducing poaching losses.
There are now nine protected areas for this species in India
alone. They are linked to both captive breeding and ranching
operations where eggs collected from the wild are raised
in captivity and then released back into the wild, much
like some salmon and sea turtle management. The first were
released in 1981. Today, more than 3,000 animals have been
released through these programs. But still, the total population, wild and captive, is estimated at under 1,000 animals

The major threat at present is habitat loss
due to human encroachment, and disruption of populations through
fishing and hunting activities. A lack of suitable release
sites has also started to become a problem for the management
of the gharial. Eggs are collected for medicinal purposes,
and males are still hunted for the aphrodisiac properties
associated with the snout. They may also be snared in fishing
nets and killed by fishermen. The decline in gharial populations
have been linked to a decline in fish catches, as predatory
fish, of no interest to the fishermen, form a major part of
the gharial diet.

Plans for the future include surveys of areas
such as Pakistan and Burma where the status of the gharial
in the wild is unknown; it is suspected to be very poor. Management
and conservation programs cannot proceed without good data
to back them up. Existing management programs also need to
be refined, especially where river systems are shared by more
than one country.
Although poorly equipped to devour a human, such ability
has nevertheless been attributed to the gharial and indeed
most crocodilians. Human remains and jewelry have been found
in their stomachs, serving to validate
this fear. These were most likely scavenged from corpses.
The Hindi funeral ritual ends with the remains of the cremated
body being sent down the river. Jewelry is possibly ingested
in the same way that stones would be in order to be used
as gastroliths, hard objects, which presumably aid in digestion
and add weight to alter buoyancy.

Fun Facts:

Gharials are named for the bulbous structure on the tip of
the snout in adult males. The word gharial is derived from
the Hindi word, "ghara," which means, "mud
pot." It was misread by Europeans who changed the word
to gavial. Thus, Gavialis
gangeticus is known both as gavial
and gharial.

The gharial is the most long-snouted and together
with the saltwater crocodile the largest of the living crocodilians.
A male gharial can reach 20 feet (6 m).

The National Zoo exhibits one female gharial; a gift
from the government of Nepal.